[Surfnetkids: 5 Aug 2009] Swine Flu

Ever noticed that some blog sites display small photos or images next to each commenter’s name? Those small icons are called avatars, a representation of your online self. Now, there are globally-recognized avatars called “gravatars.” A gravatar is a small photo or image that follows you from site to site. It will appear next to your name when you make comments or join in social networking conversations, such as those on Twitter.

Now, gravatars have come to www.BarbaraFeldman.com and www.SurfNetParents.com and if you have a free, easy gravatar set up, it will appear next to your comments on my blogs.

Ready to join the gravatar party? It’s easy.

1) Go to Gravatar.com and sign up to associate an avatar image with your email address. It is both easy and free.

Now whenever you comment on gravatar-enabled sites, such as mine, your gravatar will display.

2) Now that you have a gravatar, go ahead and try it out by posting a comment at BarbaraFeldman.com.

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On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu an official influenza pandemic. Although that sounds quite scary, it simply means that this season’s threat is now global in nature. Learn more about the flu and its impact at these sites.

AMNH: Infection, Detection, Prevention “Microbes are the oldest form of life on Earth. Some types have existed for billions of years.” This great multimedia site from American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) explains microbes and bacteria and the role they play in infection. My favorite clicks are the interactive games sprinkled throughout the site, and the chapter titled “How Lou Got the Flu.” But the most important section is Prevention Convention, which includes ten tips for staying healthy. For a two-page color-it-yourself version of the tips, look for the Print & Color link at the bottom of the page.

Flu.gov “One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information.” Best clicks are Know the Facts, with answers to question such as “What is H1N1 flu?” and “How do you catch swine flu?”, and the glossary which defines flu terms from “adjuvant:a substance added to a vaccine to improve the immune response ” to “zoonoses: diseases that are transferable from animals to humans.” State-specific information is available by clicking on the red US map in the right-hand column.

FluTracker Dr. Henry Nima, a medical researcher in Pittsburgh, PA, compiled this world map using data from “official sources, news reports and user-contributions.” Unfortunately those sources aren’t listed. To view any part of the map in more detail, use the zoom bar or click and hold your left-mouse button to drag the map. To view a text summary of the number of suspected and confirmed swine flu cases, click on any of the round button icons.